[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 3-4
Overall Record: 3-4 (4th, 3 GB)

We've got some starters!: A 3-4 record isn't any good, but hey! Only one of our starting pitchers gave up an earned run! That was Bob Goldman, who was charged with 3 hits, 2 runs, and a walk in our 7-0 loss to the Sailors. Otherwise, any runs were the fault of our fielders, which cost Roger Alford and Jim Norris wins. Alford made two starts, his first seeing 3 hits, 2 walks, and 3 unearned runs in 1.2 innings pitched, but the second was more like the Allen winner. Again there were 3 hits, but he struck out 2 in his 3 scoreless innings. Norris also had 3 unearned runs charged to him, with just a hit and walk in 1.2 innings. Good enough for a 45-year-old, who should have no issues continuing to fill the back-est part of our rotation.

It's not good enough for a 44-year-old, or 39-year-old for that matter, as both Pug and Hal were outstanding. Pug went four scoreless, allowing 4 hits and a walk with 2 strikeouts in a no decision. Hal got the win, 3.1 scoreless with 3 hits, a walk, and a strikeout. Both are crucial pieces of our rotation, and I love seeing the vets show no signs of rust. On the other side of the spectrum, last year's 3rd Rounder Bill Bartlett was arguably the best of our hurlers. The 22-year-old fighting for a rotation spot went 4 with just 2 hits and a strikeout, keeping a very good KC team in check. A few more starts like this and I might believe that he's actually our second best pitcher, but for now he'll likely have to settle for Omaha (I wanted to type Milwaukee) ace. A three pitch pitcher he relies a lot on his velocity, as most pitches thrown are a sinker or fastball, but his command will more then make up for any deficiencies in stuff. He's going to do all he can to pitch his way into our rotation, but if no one is giving up any runs he's going to have his work cut out for him.

Tom Lorang looks great in Cougar threads!: For Cougar fans who haven't really had much to be happy about, the few fans who ventured over to the Wolves spring facility got treated with the beauty of a surefire Hall-of-Famer wearing Cougars threads. Ever since the Leo Mitchell snub we haven't had a player quite like this. Sure, Pug White should be in the Hall once his vampire juices wear off but there's levels between a 7-Time All-Star and a 4-Time Whitney winner. Over a decade younger then Pug he has five more All-Star selections and if he can get to Pug's age he might have records upon records upon records. It may not have looked like it, he was kept off base in each of his first five games, but he drew a pair of walks in a 2-0 win over the Kings and followed it up with a pair of singles, a run, and an RBI in our 5-1 win over the Imperials. The #2 ranked FABL position player, he has the most job security of any player in baseball, and I imagine getting bombarded by fans he never knew he had and having to learn a whole lot of new names might make it a little tough to concentrate. The only stats we'll care about come on April 7th, where his real Cougar debut will come in Kansas City against the expansion Mavericks. Settled in the cleanup spot he's the most sure thing we have, and I'm hoping I surrounded him with enough pieces that we can compete for a playoff spot or at least he can compete for a Whitney.

Who will pitch the 9th?: It's probably our most up for grabs spot and right now it looks like it's Tom Andress' to lose. The Cougars 8th Rounder in 1973, the reliever only prospect is who Harry Carr thinks is the best we have, with the potential to pitch high leverage innings. Even for a pen guy his stuff is above average, as the fastball/curveball mix is tough if you only get to face it once or twice a game. Able to pitch multiple innings when needed, he pitched most days this week, five appearances of five total innings. No runs were allowed, striking out 4 with 2 hits and 3 walks. Perhaps most valuably, he breaks the tension in the clubhouse well, and unfortunately the past regime left a lot of malcontents to go with the abundance of leadership. Andress keeps things loose with his pranks, always keeping the other guys in the pen on their toes and focused on what's most important. The game. His biggest competition is likely from Bill Jackson, Carr's current top guy, who couldn't be more different. Once called humdrum, there 1971 9th Rounder has two seasons of AAA experience to Andress' half season, 12-8 with 25 saves, a 3.93 ERA (108 ERA+) and 120 strikeouts in 167 innings. He's only got two pen innings, once which saw 3 hits, a walk, and a run, but he seems to be the safer bet. Neither is on the 40, though that won't be much of a concern, and they could both end up with an opening day spot. Augie Hicks is really the only guaranteed pen spot, though he's not stopping, and we could end up vastly improving our pen by trusting some of the younger guys. It's a long spring, so the three or four pen spots up for grabs could be highly debated over with most else set in stone.